New Griffith city Council meets for first time

The new Griffith City Council met this week for the first time since the local government elections were held in early December 2021.

The ordinary meeting was held on Tuesday, 25 January 2022 at 7pm in the Council Chambers.

The first item on the agenda was the swearing in of the newly-elected Councillors, Mayor Doug Curran, Glen Andreazza, Shari Blumer, Simon Croce, Jenny Ellis, Manjit Singh Lally, Melissa Marin, Anne Napoli, Christine Stead, Chris Sutton, Laurie Testoni and Dino Zappacosta.

The election of Griffith’s new Deputy Mayor followed, with Councillor Glen Andreazza elected to hold the office until September 2022. The position of Deputy Mayor is elected by the members of the Council while the Mayor is popularly elected by the community every four years.

Councillor Andreazza said he looks forward to working with the Mayor and fellow Councillors to collaboratively bring new ideas and opportunities to Griffith.

“I am looking forward to working as part of a team to lead the city into an exciting future,” he said.

Mayor Doug Curran congratulated Councillor Andreazza on his appointment.

“This is an exciting new period for our City and I look forward to working closely with all Councillors in the best interests of Griffith,” Councillor Curran said.

Council General Manager Brett Stonestreet welcomed the new councillors.

“On behalf of all Griffith City Council staff, I’d like to formally welcome our new and returning Councillors and congratulate them on their elections,” Mr Stonestreet said.

“We look forward to delivering the wonderful projects already in progress, and working together to develop new opportunities for our community.”

Other items on the agenda included the adoption of the 2020/21 Annual Financial Statements and the commencement of the review of Council Committee Structure for this term of Council.

To assist Council meet statutory requirements, increase knowledge and acquire skills necessary to perform their roles, all Councillors have participated in induction and professional development training over the past few weeks.

The new Council will serve a reduced term (2 years and 9 months), rather than the normal four, due to the 12-month delay of local government elections.

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